{"id":11520,"date":"2017-07-04T18:31:45","date_gmt":"2017-07-04T18:31:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mention.com\/blog\/?p=11520"},"modified":"2024-01-19T15:53:31","modified_gmt":"2024-01-19T15:53:31","slug":"improve-surveys-for-customer-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mention.com\/en\/blog\/improve-surveys-for-customer-care\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create Perfect Surveys for Better Customer Care"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Good customer care is a priority for most businesses.\u00a0All your marketing, development, and communications efforts help to\u00a0improve the relationship with your clients<\/a>.
But there’s a simpler strategy. You have to understand your clients<\/strong>\u00a0to\u00a0provide exactly what they need, and surveys are one of the most straightforward ways to get data you can use.
But problem: most people don\u2019t like taking surveys<\/strong>. They avoid them, thinking they’re just a waste of time. They don\u2019t understand that they’ll get better service if they just take the time to respond.
And what\u2019s a good response rate<\/strong>, anyway? Businesses aim for a response rate of 80% or higher\u00a0from a small sample. But most external surveys get an average response rate of 10-15%, and internal surveys (the ones you distribute to employees) might reach 30-40%.
External surveys are particularly tricky. They demand real effort in development, and even\u00a0more<\/em> effort during promotion. But they can definitely be worth it.
In order to increase response rates, you need to motivate your audience. Here are a few key techniques to create better customer surveys:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Give prior notice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Do you respond to every survey you\u2019re given? Your inbox may be full of invitations, yet you\u2019re probably ignoring them. That\u2019s exactly how your target audience feels. They’ll see the survey and will either be too lazy or too busy to respond to it right away. They’ll leave it for later, but most of them will forget.
\nThis is exactly why prior notice is important. Send a fun email saying that everyone is about to get an important and exciting survey<\/strong> that will help your business make better decisions. Explain that the survey will make the products or services better, so everyone will benefit from it.
\nThis is a good trigger. When recipients are ready for your survey, the chances of getting their response will be higher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Make survey takers feel special<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To attract fans of your brand on social media, you use a personalized approach. You respond to their comments, you address them by first names, and you try to make your brand feel familiar.
Your survey takers deserve the same treatment<\/strong>.
Send a personalized invitation. Dear Laura, I’d appreciate your help here!<\/em> That\u2019s a nice start. Tell them you appreciate their opinions and respect their time, that this survey won\u2019t take long, and the results will help you provide a better service.
The subject line should be very clear in this aspect: Laura, here\u2019s a 3-minute survey to share your opinion on our service.<\/em>
Make the invitation feel personal, and you have a much better chance of receiving a good result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Make your surveys respondent-friendly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The last thing you want is to attract people to take your survey and then confuse them with the questions, format, or length of the process. The best surveys are respondent-friendly, and have a few key characteristics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They’re short<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The more questions a survey has, the less time respondents spend per question<\/a>. When you offer a shorter survey, respondents will pay more attention to each question.
\nLong surveys cause not only frustration, but abandonment as well. A report by Oxford University Press<\/a> tested the response rates to surveys that took 10, 20, and 30 minutes. The longer the stated length was, the fewer recipients started and completed the survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They’re clear<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Do not complicate the design of the survey. You don\u2019t need many colors and items here. Stick with a simple design, which makes the questions and answers clearly visible.
\nThe language should be clear, too. Use words everyone understands. Make the sentences short and comprehensible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They’re optimized<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Can your survey be accessed through a computer, tablet, and smartphone? The last thing you want is for a smartphone user to agree to take a survey, only to find a format that\u2019s not optimized for this device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They have a time frame<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Show a progress bar that helps the respondent visualize how much of the survey they are left with. They won\u2019t abandon the survey if they know they are close to the end.
\nThe easier to understand and complete your survey is, the more likely you are to receive good responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Avoid Yes\/No questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\nWere you happy with your last purchase?<\/em>
\nWhat does this question actually tell you? Not much. When you get the results of this kind of survey, you won\u2019t have much data to analyze. That\u2019s a waste of time, right there.
\nTom Lawrence from EssayOnTime<\/a> regularly conducts surveys and analysis. He finds there are better ways to ask these kinds of questions: \u201cYou can easily rework yes\/no questions with phrases like how likely<\/em>, how often<\/em>, or how much<\/em>. Start your questions with when, why, what, how<\/em>… whatever leads to a response that gives you richer data.\u201d
\nAccording to his experience, response scales are particularly tricky. \u201cWhen they give a strong direction and rich intensity, response scales give you a good volume of data to analyze. If, however, the response scales are based on the agree\/disagree approach, you\u2019re still getting unreliable data.\u201d
\n\u201cWhen you have a response scale, the question should be very clear and the scale must be balanced. You need a definite midpoint and a precise range of possible answers.\u201d
\nCarefully constructed response scales can provide very rich data<\/strong>. Just make sure you build them well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Make it human<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some questions can come across as cold.
\nWhen was the last time you purchased products at our website? <\/em>
\nWere you satisfied with the service you got?<\/em>
\nThese questions seem generic and machine-like. Try to put some life into the survey<\/strong>.
\nTell me something: when was the last time you got a product from us?<\/em>
\nHow happy did it make you?<\/em>
\nThat\u2019s better. Boring or generic language is far more likely to lead to uninterested responses, or no response at all. You want to get in touch with the respondent without making them bored to death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Make choices easy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To improve response rates, you need to make the survey quick and easy to take. You can\u2019t expect answers in the form of essays.
\nInstead, multiple-choice is usually much better<\/strong>. And if you do end up offering multiple choices, make them clear and don\u2019t go overboard! Too many options will give the respondent decision fatigue.
\nIf you really want written answers, make the questions clear and straightforward. The respondent should be able to answer one question in less than a minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Don\u2019t be too needy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some of the respondents might be confused by a particular question. If that\u2019s the case, you have two options:<\/p>\n\n\n\n